


Take Me Out To The Ballgame

by realityisoverrated



Series: Infinite Love [83]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, M/M, Polyamory, Polyfidelity, Smoaking billionaires, Strong Language, Toliver, flommy, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-02-01
Packaged: 2018-09-21 06:55:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9536825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/realityisoverrated/pseuds/realityisoverrated
Summary: Oliver and Tommy take Bobby to his first baseball game. Later that night, he has some tough questions for Oliver.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> This installment is rated M for language. There are homophobic slurs used.
> 
> Thank you for your continued support of this series. Your comments and kudos help feed the muse. 
> 
> I'm not telling this series in chronological order. Some readers have requested that I provide a chronological order for the fics in the series. There is no need to read them in chronological order, but in case you'd like to, the list is below. This installment is 66/83. (There is a known issue at AO3. If viewing the stories from the series page, the story numbers aren't always correct. The story number when you open the individual stories is correct).  
> 1\. Beautiful Stranger (Part 28)  
> 2\. The Hack of the Golden Dragon (Part 36)  
> 3\. Girl Wednesday (Part 41)  
> 4\. This Time Last Year (Part 44)  
> 5\. The First Time (Part 1)  
> 6\. Aloe and Chamomile (Part 40)  
> 7\. The Italian Restaurant (Part 3)  
> 8\. Ground Rules (Part 43)  
> 9\. Do The Hustle (Part 21)  
> 10\. The Secret Ingredient (Part 65)  
> 11\. Wherever You Are, There I Am (Part 8)  
> 12\. Perfect (Part 16)  
> 13\. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (Part 49)  
> 14\. Practical Jokes and Other Misunderstandings (Part 14)  
> 15\. Cobble Hill (Part 4)  
> 16\. The Sunnybrook (Part 51)  
> 17\. House Warming (Part 15)  
> 18\. 30 (Part 30)  
> 19\. Hong Kong (Part 35)  
> 20\. Twenty Questions Over Brunch (Part 11)  
> 21\. Hildy (Part 5)  
> 22\. Burgers & Lies (Part 9)  
> 23\. You Say You Want A Revolution (Part 22)  
> 24\. Unexpected Gifts (Part 70)  
> 25\. Look Me In The Eye And Make Me Feel The Truth (Part 12)  
> 26\. Fight Night (Part 20)  
> 27\. Fear and Loathing (Part 42)  
> 28\. With The Band (Part 53)  
> 29\. The Scarecrow (Part 59)  
> 30\. An Island Of His Own Making (Part 74)  
> 31\. Pas de Deux (Part 75)  
> 32\. Take It Back (Part 76)  
> 33\. Into Thin Air (Part 17)  
> 34\. Haunted (Part 58)  
> 35\. It’s Just Like Falling (Part 27)  
> 36\. Will You Still Love Me, Tomorrow? (Part 7)  
> 37\. Life With The Arrow (Part 23)  
> 38\. Up All Night (Part 6)  
> 39\. Welcome Home (Part 10)  
> 40\. Deadshot (Part 62)  
> 41\. Better Than Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes (Part 24)  
> 42\. The Right To Remain Silent (Part 61)  
> 43\. Home Is Where You Are (Part 2)  
> 44\. Somebody Get A Hammer (Part 26)  
> 45\. Tush Push (Part 48)  
> 46\. Elves (Part 68)  
> 47\. Three (Part 13)  
> 48\. Life Lived In The Tabloids (Part 18)  
> 49\. Tokyo Calling (Part 25)  
> 50\. Something Blue (Part 39)  
> 51\. I Do. I Do. I Do. (Part 82)  
> 52\. Prudence Chastity (Part 19)  
> 53\. Love Is Worth It In The End (Part 33)  
> 54\. The Mini (Part 38)  
> 55\. The Hall of Fame (Part 46)  
> 56\. A Name By Any Other (Part 47)  
> 57\. The Drop Out (Part 32)  
> 58\. Homework (Part 64)  
> 59\. Count Your Blessings (Part 71)  
> 60\. William (Part 29)  
> 61\. Hold On For One More Day (Part 31)  
> 62\. I Have No Gifts To Bring (Part 72)  
> 63\. Yours, Mine, Ours (Part 37)  
> 64\. Rules Are Made To Be Broken (Part 55)  
> 65\. The Forty-Year-Old Graduate (Part 78)  
> 66\. Take Me Out To The Ballgame (Part 83)  
> 67\. Hope Is Believing In The Light When All You See Is Darkness (Part 52)  
> 68\. Emma (Part 77)  
> 69\. Open Up And Say Ah (Part 60)  
> 70\. Tommy Merlyn’s No Good, Very Bad, Terrible Day (Part 81)  
> 71\. Saturdays With The Green Arrow (Part 34)  
> 72\. I Would Not Trade What Might Have Been For What Is (Part 50)  
> 73\. Brothers (Part 45)  
> 74\. Hallelujah (Part 69)  
> 75\. The Green Arrow Did It (Part 73)  
> 76\. Strawberry Milkshake With A Side Of Why (Part 56)  
> 77\. All About The Jeans (Part 54)  
> 78\. A Bunny For Prue (Part 63)  
> 79\. Day 107 (Part 67)  
> 80\. Boys Who Kiss Boys Who Kiss Girls Who Kiss Boys Who Kiss Boys (Part 57)  
> 81\. Scars (Part 79)  
> 82\. Tummy Aches and Heart Aches (Part 66)  
> 83\. Gut Punch (Part 80)
> 
> Welcome to any new readers who have stumbled into this universe. The more the merrier.
> 
> Arrow and its characters do not belong to me.

Artwork by ligiapimenta

 

“Again,” Bobby giggled as his feet touched back down with the ground.

“One. Two. Three,” Tommy and Oliver said together as they swung Bobby into the air. Each of them held one of his hands as they walked along with the crowd exiting the Rocket’s game. Bobby loved being swung between his dads because they were able to give him greater height than either were able to do if Felicity was the other adult doing the swinging.

It was Bobby’s first baseball game and the guys had been looking forward to taking him since the day he was born. It was a beautiful summer day and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The Rockets had played the Gotham Knights and had won 5-2. The crowd was in a good mood and there were lots of families out enjoying themselves for a day in the sun.

“So, what’d you think, little man?” Oliver asked their four-and-a-half-year-old. “Did you have fun?”

Bobby looked up at Oliver from beneath his red Rockets’ cap and smiled, “Yes. Can we come back tomorrow?”

“Not tomorrow, but I think we can come again soon,” Oliver promised. He was excited that Bobby had fun and seemed to enjoy baseball as much as his dads. The hot dogs, pretzels and ice cream probably increased his enthusiasm.

“What was your favorite part?” Tommy asked.

Bobby wrinkled his nose as he thought about his dad’s questions, “I liked singing, Take Me Out To The Ballgame.”

Tommy and Oliver both laughed. Oliver looked at Tommy and winked, “Like father, like son.”

“Can mommy and Becca come next time?” Bobby asked. “Mommy would like the ice cream.”

“Becca’s a little too small to come to a game, but maybe Grandma Donna can watch her so mommy can come,” Oliver responded.

Bobby pulled back on their arms so he could get a running start. “Again,” he laughed in delight as his dads swung him back into the air.

“Hey faggots,” someone called out from behind them, “why don’t you stay home? There are people with families here.”

Oliver and Tommy both looked over their shoulders. Oliver had been expecting to see two men kissing or holding hands but he didn’t see anyone that could’ve drawn the unwanted attention from a group of drunk twenty something men. As Oliver surveyed the crowd, he realized the men were glaring at him and Tommy.

“I think they’re talking to us,” Tommy said to Oliver as they swung Bobby between them again.

“Ignore them,” Oliver instructed.

Bobby’s short legs were enabling the drunks, who were continuing to hurl homophobic insults at them, to catch up. Oliver wasn’t worried for their safety. Six drunk men would be easy enough to take care of, but he was worried about Tommy and Bobby having to listen to the hate filled speech directed at them. Bobby kept looking over his shoulder at the shouting men with confusion, but seemed oblivious that the yelling was directed at his dads.

Oliver wanted to put distance between the drunks and his family. He let go of Bobby’s hand, “Tommy, pick him up.”

Without hesitation, Tommy scooped Bobby into his arms. “Da, I don’t want to be carried,” Bobby complained.

“Just for a few minutes,” Tommy said to their son.

“Keep walking to the car,” Oliver instructed. “I’ll catch up.”

“Oliver,” Tommy pleaded.

“It’ll be fine,” Oliver promised.

He watched as Tommy joined a group of families and did his best to blend in with the surrounding crowd. In a sea of red Rocket t-shirts and ballcaps, it was easy for Tommy and Bobby to vanish in plain sight. Oliver turned around and waited for the drunks to approach. “Are we going to have a problem?” Oliver asked.

A guy wearing his ballcap backwards said, “It’s Oliver Queen. The city’s favorite fag.” The group erupted in laughter.

“Listen guys, you’re drunk and I’m out trying to enjoy an afternoon with my family. My son doesn’t need to listen to your drunken bullshit. Give it a rest.” As much as he wanted to punch them each in the face, it wasn’t the time or place for it.

“Nobody wants to see you and Merlyn together. It’s gross. You guys got prime super model pussy back in the day. Why are you sucking each other’s cocks?” Another of the bros asked.

Oliver counted to three in his head. “You guys can think whatever you want, but my son is four. I’m asking you, nicely, stop saying that stuff in front of my kid.”

The soberest of the guys in the group turned to his friends, “He’s right guys. It’s a kid. Chill.”

“Are you hoping he’ll suck your cock, Jimmy?” The guy with the backwards cap asked his friend.

Jimmy turned to Oliver, “Sorry, man, they’re really drunk. They’re done.”

“Don’t apologize to the faggot,” one of the men slurred. “He’s a pervert and shouldn’t be around decent families.”

“Eric, not cool,” Jimmy said. “He’s out with his son to watch a ballgame, not to listen to your horseshit.” He turned to Oliver, “They won’t be any more trouble, I promise.”

Oliver smiled tightly at Jimmy, “Thanks. I think you might want to look into new friends.”

 

Oliver finished, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, and handed it back to Bobby, “What’s next?”

Bobby placed the book under his pillow and retrieved, The Lorax. Oliver found it endearing that his son slept with books under his pillows. They were Bobby’s most prized possession and he insisted they gave him happy dreams. Oliver took the book from his son and waited for him to get comfortable. Bobby snuggled into Oliver’s side and placed his head on his dad’s chest. Oliver opened the book and began to read.

Bobby’s fingers traced the veins in Oliver’s wrists and forearms. “Daddy?” he asked hesitantly.

“Yeah?” Oliver braced himself for a request to read a third book after the Lorax.

“What does faggot mean?”

Oliver’s heart began to race. He put the book down, “What?”

“I looked it up in the dictionary. A bundle of twigs or sticks,“ Bobby recited. “Why were the men calling us faggots?”

“Those men had too much to drink. You don’t need to worry about them,” Oliver deflected.

Bobby turned so he was facing his dad, “They made you mad when they said it.”

“It’s a mean word used to hurt people’s feelings and one you shouldn’t say,” Oliver explained.

“But why is it mean? What does it mean?” Bobby continued his line of questioning, “What does homo,” his brow crinkled as he tried to remember, “homosexual mean? The dictionary also said a faggot is a homosexual man. I looked it up, but I still don’t understand. Someone sexually attracted to people of their own sex. What does sexually attracted mean?”

Oliver swallowed heavily and wished parenting wasn’t so damn hard. He was also regretting giving Bobby a dictionary for his fourth birthday. He sat up and lifted Bobby onto his lap. “A homosexual man is a man who likes to kiss other men.”

Bobby nodded his head, “Like you and da.”

“Your da and I like to kiss each other, but we also like to kiss mommy.”

“So, you and da are not homosexuals?” Bobby asked.

Having a genius for a child had taught Oliver that sugar coating reality never really worked with Bobby. “Your da and I are considered bisexual because we like to kiss men and women.” 

“Is mommy bisexual too?”

“No, mommy is considered heterosexual because she only likes to kiss men.”

Bobby sat quietly as he processed the new words and definitions he’d just received. “Faggot is a mean word for homosexual?” he asked.

“Yes, faggot is a mean word used to hurt people’s feelings.”

Bobby sat silently as he processed the confirmation he’d received. He rubbed Oliver’s t-shirt, “Is it bad to be a homosexual?”

“No,” Oliver said immediately. “There is nothing wrong with being a homosexual.”

“But it has a mean word to make people feel bad,” Bobby reasoned, “so someone thinks being a homosexual is bad.”

It was conversations like this when Oliver wished Bobby was less inquisitive and had fewer IQ points. “Most men like to only kiss women. It makes some people uncomfortable when men like to kiss men. When people are uncomfortable about people who are different, sometimes they are mean and call the other people names to make them feel badly about themselves.”

“Those men were calling you and da names because you like to kiss each other.”

“Yes.”

Bobby crawled out of Oliver’s lap and handed him back the book. “Calling you names is silly. Who cares who you like to kiss? Kissing is gross.”

It never ceased to amaze him how practical children were. When left to their own devices and faced with facts, they tended to see the absurdity in the logic of adults. “You’re right. It is silly.”

Bobby settled back against Oliver’s chest and tapped the book, “Start from the beginning and do the voices.”

Oliver happily started over.

Twenty minutes later, Oliver tucked the blankets around his sleeping son. He stepped into the hallway to find Tommy waiting for him. Tommy pulled his husband closer by the front of his t-shirt. His eyes were red, “Are you okay?”

“How badly did I do?” Oliver was worried he’d blown one of the most important conversations he’d ever have with his son.

“You did a good job. Gave him enough information to satisfy his curiosity without overwhelming him with details.

“Are you okay?” Oliver asked his weary looking husband.

Tommy dropped his head to Oliver’s shoulder and wrapped his arms around his husband’s waist. “It brought back some unpleasant memories,” he held Oliver tighter.

Oliver’s hand covered the scar on Tommy’s stomach. “Today was a great day. We took our son to his first baseball game and he loved it,” Oliver kissed Tommy’s neck. “Don’t let them take that from us. Today was about us and our son, not some drunken assholes.”

Tommy lifted his head and all traces of anxiety were gone, “It was a perfect day.”

“You know what would be a perfect end to our perfect day?” Oliver kissed Tommy’s neck right below his ear and grinned when his husband shivered.

“What?” Tommy’s hands sought Oliver’s skin beneath his shirt.

“If my husband makes love to me,” Oliver’s tongue trailed along the edge of Tommy’s jaw.

“I think Felicity’s asleep,” Tommy managed to say before he moaned when Oliver’s hands slipped below his waistband to grab his ass.

“I’ll be quiet,” Oliver promised.

“That sounds like a challenge,” Tommy grinned right before he captured Oliver’s mouth in a searing kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> On Saturday I will post the fourth place fic - Oliver and Tommy flashback.
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com/


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